m 



M 



i LIBRARY OF CONGRESS/] 

I Chap. ...tai.i.... 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 



4 




A SKETCH 



OF THE 



LIFE AND PUBLIC SERVICES 



OF 



WIIililAM H. HARBISON. 



COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE NORTH WESTERN ARMY, 
DURING THE WAR OF 1812, &c. 



HARTFORD: 

PRINTED BY J. B. ELDREDGE. 

1840. 




A SKETCH 



OP THE 



LIFE AND PUBLIC SERVICES 



OF 



WILLIAM H. HARBISO]V. 



COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE NORTH WESTERN ARMY, 
DURING THE WAR OF 1812, &c. 



U 3-ck SO n^Is a- «ic-T^ -a- >x i- 




HARTFORD: 

PRINTED BY J. B. ELDREDGE. 

1840. 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 



The prominent position now occupied by General Harrison 
before the American people, renders it peculiarly proper that a 
brief sketch of his life and public services should be laid before 
his fellow-citizens ; for although his public acts, both in a civil 
and military capacity, have been for the lasting glory and 
honor of our whole country, yet in consequence of his having 
resided for the greater part of liis life among the patriotic and 
chivalric inhabitants of the Western States, they are more fa- 
miliar with his history than those who reside in the East and 
North. It was this acquaintance with the man, or rather — to 
make use of the endearing appellation Ijy which he has been 
imiversally known — it was this acquaintance with the Wash- 
ington of the West, that has there produced such a general 
and ardent feeling in his favor ; that the people have, in 
despite of party dictation, borne him triumphantly along, for 
the highest office in their gift, until there is now no doubt but 
he will be elected by a most decisive majority. 

It will be apparent that our efibrts to compress the materials 
of his eventful life, in the compass of a few pages, has com- 
j)elled us to omit all those minute illustrations of particular 
facts, which have in reality given to his life all the beauty of 
romance. To see a youth of eighteen years of age, leavinu' 
his kindred, and friends, and paternal roof, and mspircd by a 
lofty patriotism, marching into the savage wilderness, and bat- 
tling with the enemies of his country; and then in a few years 
to hnd him in the councils of the nation, exerting himself to 
promote the civil institutions he had so gallantly defended in 
the field ; and then again leading the armies of our country to 
victory at the dreadful midnight conflict of Tippecanoe, and 
at the hard-fought siege of Fort Mei^s, and the still more 

1 *1T . "^ ~ O ' 

l)rilliant victory of the Thames, — together opens a field for 
meditation, which it is impossible to express in the few pages 
we have devoted to the history of his life. To have pursued 
a subject of this kind in all its details, would have been grate- 
ful to our feelings, but the brevity of our plan will forbid it. 
We must leave the reader to fill up for himself the many omis- 
sions we are compelled to make. 



" We ought to state that this compilation is principally taken 
from the valuable and authentic history of Mc Affee on the late 
war, and from the excellent biographical works of Dawson 
and Judge Hall. 

William Henry Harrison was born in Virginia on 9th of 
February, 1773. His father, Benjamin Harrison, was one of 
the patriots of the Revolution. He was a very distinguished 
member of the first congress of the United States, which met 
at Philadelphia in 1774, and was one of the most conspicuous 
of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. He after- 
wards rendered important services to his country by his ener- 
getic and pati'iotic measures as governor of his native state, 
Virginia. This eminent patriot died in 1791 ; leaving his son, 
William, under the guardianship of his friend, the celebrated 
Robert Morris. 

Young Harrison was educated at Hampden Sydney College ; 
and, by the advice of his friends, turned his attention to the 
study of medicine. But about the period when he had com- 
pleted his education, soon after the death of his father, the 
increased and barbarous hostilities of the Indians on our 
northwestern borders, began to excite a feeling of indignation 
throughout the whole country. In this general excitement 
our young student participated so warmly, that he resolved 
to relinquish his professional pursuits, and join the army des- 
tined to the defence of the Ohio frontier. 

The war in this part of our country was then assuming a 
very alarming aspect. The Indian tribes, who had been in the 
service of Great Britain, during our revolutionary struggle, 
had not yet laid down the tomahawk : but still persisted in 
tJieir ruthless hostilities, and in the almost daily commission 
of their savage atrocities. From the year 1783, when Great 
Britain acknowledged our independence, and war with the 
mother country ceased, up to the year 1791, it was estimated 
that more than fifteen hundred of our hardy borderers had 
fallen victims to the rifle and scalping Imife of their savage 
foes. Our northwestern frontier presented an appalling scene 
of rapine, conflagration, and wanton destruction of life and 
property. Many of our border settlements had been crushed 
in their infancy, and all had been retarded in their growth. 
Expedition after expedition, fitted out to oppose them, had met 
with the most disheartening losses ; and finally, a gallant army 
under Brigadier General Harmer, which had been sent ex- 



pressiy to chastise these savages, had been signally defeated 
by them, and almost annihilated. Of the few experienced 
officers, Avho escaped from Harmer's defeat, nearly all, worn out 
with the fatigues of a service so harrassing, and shrinking from 
a warfare of so dangerous and barbarous a nature, had re- 
signed their commissions ; and a feeling of dismay began to 
pervade the whole community. 

Such was the gloomy aspect of affairs, when the ardent and 
generous patriotism of young Harrison prompted him to give 
up the comforts and luxuries that surrounded him at home, 
and peril his life in defence of his fellow-countrymen. 

He received the commission of an ensign in the United 
States artillery, in the autumn of the year 1791, when only 
eighteen years of age ; and hastened immediately to join his 
regiment, which was then stationed at Fort Washington. He 
arrived at that post a few days after the unfortunate defeat ot 
General St. Clair, near the Miami villages, by the confederated 
Indians under the command of the celebrated chief, Little 
Turtle. This disastrous defeat, in which St. Clair's army 
was destroyed, with the loss of nearly a thousand men, killed 
or taken prisoners, left the whole of our northwestern frontier 
exposed to the ravages of a merciless enemy, and added 
greatly to the general consternation before existing. 

In this state of things, our government saw the necessity of 
adopting immediate and efficient means to put an end to this 
savage conflict. Another army was promptly raised, and the 
command given to General Anthony Wayne — a gallant and 
skilful officer who had earned a brilliant reputation in the 
Revolutionary AVar. Wayne's Legion, as his army was called 
in the new organization, assembled at Pittsburg, in the sum- 
mer of 1792; and in the ensuing month of November, they 
left that place, and went into winter quarters, at Legionville, 
on the Ohio, 22 miles below Pittsburg. 

About this time Harrison was promoted to a lieutenancy : 
and shortly after, he joined Wayne's Legion. His fearlessness 
and energy, with his strict attention to discipline, soon attract- 
ed the notice of his commander-in-chief, himself a bold and 
daring soldier and a rigid disciplinarian ; and General Wayne, 
not long after his arrival, selected him as one of his aids-de- 
Camp, at the age of nineteen. 

We have entered thus minutely into this detail, because wc 
wish to point out at how early an age, and in what trying 



times, yoimg Harrison was tiiought wortliy of honorable dis- 
tinction. 

Lieutenant Harrison acted as aid to General Wayne during 
the whole of the ensuing campaigns ; and his bravery and 
gallant conduct throughout were such, that he'was repeatedly 
officially noticed in term sof the highest encomium. The war 
was conducted by General Wayne with all the cool daring of 
a veteran soldier, and the sagacity of a prudent Genera! — until 
iinally, on the 20th of August, 1794, he fought the bloody and 
desperate battle of the jNIiami, in which the confederated In- 
dians, with their allies, were totally defeated. Their heavy 
losses in this battle so disheartened the Indians, that, a few 
months after, they entered into negotiations for a treaty of 
peace, giving hostages for their good faith — and thus, with the 
close of this war, were extinguislied what may be considered 
the last embers of our revolutionary struggle. In his despatch 
to the Secretary of War, after this decisive victory, General 
Wayne, in mentioning those whose good conduct made them 
conspicuous on this occasion, says — •' jMy faithful and gallant 
aids-de-camp, Captains De Butts and T. Lewis, and Lieutex- 
A.\T IIarrisox, with the Adjutant-general, Major ]MilIs, ren- 
dered the most essential service, by communicating my orders 
in every direction, and by their conduct and bravery exciting 
the troops to press for victory." 

Soon after this battle. Lieutenant Harrison received tlie 
commission of a captain, and was placed in command of Fort 
Washington — the most important station on the western fron- 
tier. He remained in the army till the close of the year, 1797, 
when, as there was no longer an opportunity to serve his 
country in the field, he resigned his commission, to commence 
his career of civil services. He was almost immediately ap- 
pointed Secretary, and, ex-officio, Lieutenant-Governor of the 
A^orthwestern territory; which then embraced the whole ex- 
tent of our country lymo- Northwest of the Ohio river — thus 
receiving his first civil appointment in that part of our coun- 
try which he had periled his life to defend. 

While in this station, he entered so warmly into the inter- 
ests of the people, and his intelligence ?aid the kindness and 
urbanity of his manners rendered him so popular, that when, 
in the following; year, they became entitled to representation in 
the councils of the nation, they almost unanimously elected 



him their first delegate to Congress. Mr. Harrison was, at 
this time, about twenty-six years of age. 

He took his seat in the House of Representatives, at the first 
session of the sixth Congress, in December, 1 799. There were 
then in Congress some of the ablest and most enlightened 
statesmen, and some of the most eloquent men, our coimtry 
has ever produced. Yet in this severe ordeal, the abilities and 
manly energies of Mr. Harrison soon commanded universal 
respect. At this period, the all-engrossing subject in the West, 
and one in which our whole country had a deep interest, was 
the sale of our public lands. The manner in which these lands 
had been hitherto disposed of, had created great dissatisfaction 
among the people. They had been sold only in large tracts ; 
the smallest of which included, at least, four thousand acres. 
Our hardy yeomanry, with limited pecuniary means, were 
thus shut out from all chance of competition with wealthy 
speculators and grasping monopolists, in the purchase of these 
lands — the poorer emigrants were becoming disheartened at 
the chilling prospects before them, and the settlement of the 
new country was greatly retarded. Fully aware of the im- 
policy and injustice of this state of things, and true to the trust 
<'onfided in him, Mr. Harrison's earliest legislative etlbrts were 
made to overthrow this pernicious system. He aroused the 
attention of Congress to the consideration of this important 
subject, and evinced so intimate an acquaintance with the 
facts and business details connected with it, that he was ap- 
pointed chairman of a committee raised to examine into and 
report on the existing mode of disposing of the public lands. 
After a proper investigation, he presented a report, accompanied 
l)y a bill, the principal object of wdiich was to reduce the size 
of the tracts of public land offered for sale, to such a smaller 
number of acres as would place them within the reach of ac- 
tual settlers. This masterly report, which was the joint pro- 
duction of himself and Mr. Gallatin, together with the great 
ability and eloquence with which he defended his bill from the 
powerful opposition it encountered in the House, gained Mr. 
Harrison a reputation rarely attamed by so young a states- 
man. The bill was carried triumphantly in the House, and 
finally, after some amendments, passed the Senate. The re- 
sult was, that the public lands, instead of being offered only in 
large tracts, of which four thousand acres was the smallest 
size, were now to be sold in alternate sections and half sect- 



8 

tions — the former containing 040, and the latter 320 acres 
each. The point gained was of immense importance, since, 
from the low price of these lands, and the small amount of 
jnachase money required to be paid, they were now within 
the reacli of nearly all the poor emigrants and actual settlers, 
who felt a natural desire to own the fee simple of their homes, 
and of the lands they subdued from the wilderness. Thou- 
sands of the hardy and mdustrious farmers of our Northern 
and Middle States, and many of the poorer planters of the 
South, availed themselves of the fair field which was now 
opened for emigration and enterprise ; and we may justly 
consider this happy result, which Mr. Harrison was so instru- 
mental hi producing, as one of the leading causes of the rapid 
settlement and prosperity of our Western country. 

In the year 1800, the Northwestern territory was divided. 
That part of the old territory, included within the present 
boundaries of Ohio and Michigan, retained its former name ; 
and the immense extent of country Northwest of this, was 
made a separate territory, and received the name of Indiana. 
Soon after this division had taken place, Mr. Harrison resigned 
his seat in Congress, and was appointed Governor of the new 
territory. This appomtment gave great satisfaction to the 
people of Indiana, with whom the patriotic exertions of Mr. 
Harrison had rendered him deservedly popular ; and it was, at 
the same time, the strongest evidence of the confidence with 
wiiich the General Government relied upon his integrity, pru- 
dence, and capacity for civil government. 

The extent of Indiana was almost boundless. The small 
population it then contained was thinly scattered through a 
vast wilderness, and only three settlements of any note existed 
within its territory. One of these was at Vincennes, the capi- 
tal ; another at the Falls of the Ohio, one hundred miles dis- 
tant from Vincennes ; and the third was on the Mississippi, at 
a distance of more than two hundred miles from the capital. 
The communication between these remote points was, at all 
times, difficult and toilsome, and often attended with great dan- 
ger. There existed no practicable roads, and nearly all the 
intermediate country was occupied by the Indians, or overrun 
by their hunting-parties. Most of those savage tribes, though 
professing to be friendly, were restless and dissatisfied ; and 
their leading chiefs still nursed a moody hope of revenge for 
the mortifying defeat they had sustaijied, six years before, at 



9 

the battle of the Miami. Artful and treacherous, numerous, 
warlike, and thirsting for plunder, they kept this remote fron- 
tier in continual excitement and alarm. The angry feelings of 
our hardy borderers were frequently roused by some robbery 
or atrocious violence committed by the more evil-disposed 
among their savage neighbors, and quarrels often ensued, 
which threatened the peace of the whole community. 

Such was the existing state of things in Indiana Territory, 
when Mr. Harrison was appointed to the administration of its 
government. As Governor of a frontier territory so peculiarly 
situated, Mr. Harrison was invested with civil powers of the 
most important nature, as well as with military authority. 
Besides the ordinary powers which he held, ex officio, as 
GoA'ernor, he had the sole power of dividing the district into 
counties and townships, and was appointed the general super- 
intendent of Indian ati'airs. He had likewise the unusual pow- 
er of conferring on a numerous class of individuals a legal title 
to large grants of land, on which they before held merely an 
equitable claim. His sole signature was sufficient, without 
any other formality, to give a valid title to these extensive and 
valuable tracts of land. Possessed of this immense power, 
opportunities were continually before him of accumulating a 
princely fortune ; but the scrupulous sense of honor, which 
has always characterized Mr. Harrison, would never permit 
him to speculate in lands over which he had any control. And 
it is a fact worthy of note, that during the whole time that he 
held this important trust, he never availed himself of his pecul- 
iar advantages to acquire a single acre of land ; — no shadow 
of suspicion ever doubted his disinterestedness, and not a 
murmur ever accused him of partiality, or even of unnecessary 
delay, in the performance of this dehcate duty. We mention 
this only to show, that the integrity of Mr. Harrison is not 
merely theoretical but practical ; and that it has always shone 
with the purest lustre when assailed by the strongest tempta- 
tions. 

In 1803, Mr. Jetierson appointed Governor Harrison sole 
" commissioner to enter into any treaties which may be neces- 
sary with any Indian tribes. Northwest of the Ohio, and with- 
in the territory of the United States, on the subject of their 
boundaries or lands." By virtue of this, or a similar authori- 
ty, during the subsequent course of his administration, Harri- 
son effected thirteen important treaties with the different 



10 

tribes, on the most advantageous terms ; and obtained from 
them, at various times, the cession of large tracts of land, 
amounting, in all, to more than sixty millions of acres, and em- 
bracing a large portion of the richest region in our country. 

In their frequent intercourse with Governor Harrison, the 
Indians had learned to respect his undaunted firmness, and 
were, at the same time, conciliated by his kindness of manner 
and considerate forbearance. This, with his intimate know- 
ledge of the Indian character, is the true secret of the remark- 
able success that has uniformly attended every treaty he has 
attempted to effect. 

The various and arduous duties of the Governor of Indiana 
required, for this office, a man of vertj suj)erior abilities — one 
possessed of stern integrity and prudent moderation, accom- 
panied by the most unwavering firmness. Such a man Gov- 
ernor Harrison, in the long course of his administration, 
fully proved himself to be. The plainest evidence of this, to 
those who are not familiar with the history of Indiana during 
this period, is the fact, that, for thirteen years, at every suc- 
cessive expiration of his term of office, he was re-appointed, 
at the earnest solicitation of the people of the territory, and 
with the public expression of the most flattering approbation 
on the part of our chief Executive. And this too, notwith- 
standing the entire change which had taken place within that 
time of the ruling politics of the country — his first appointment 
having been made by jMr. Adams, his second and third by 
Mr. Jefferson, and his fourth by Mr. Madison. The follow- 
ing extract from the resolution, unanimously passed by the 
House of llepresentatives of Indiana, in the year 1809, re- 
questing the re-appointment of Governor Harrison, will show 
the estimate which a long acquaintance had taught them of 
his worth: — 

" They (the House of Representatives) cannot forbear re- 
commending to, and requesting of, the President and Senate, 
most earnestly in their own names, and in the names of their 
constituents, the rc-appointment of their present Governor, 
William Henry Harrison — because he possesses the good 
wishes and affections of a great majority of his fellow-citizens ; 
because they believe him sincerely attached to the Union, the 
prosperity of the United States, and the administration of its 
government; because they believe him in a superior degree 
capable of promoting the interests of our territory; from 



u 

lonof^ experience and laborious attention to its concerns, from 
his influence over the Indians, and wise and disinterested man- 
agement of that department ; and because they have confi- 
dence in his virtues, talents, and republicanism." 

If necessary, Ave might fill a goodly volume with extracts 
from public documents of a similar nature ; but w'hat stronger 
;proof than this could we have of the popularity of Governor 
Harrison, and of the entire confidence with which the people 
relied on his integrity and ability as a statesman? 

In the year 1805, the celebrated Indian chief, Tecumthe, 
and his notorious brother, the Shawanese prophet, 01-Ii-wa- 
chi-ca, (sometimes called Els-kwa-taw-a,) began to create dis- 
turbances on the frontiers of Indiana. Tecumthe was a bold 
and daring warrior ; sagacious in council and formidable in bat- 
tle. The prophet w as a shrewd impostor ; cunning, artful, 
and treacherous ; and they were leagued together by the tie of 
mutual interests, and a common hatred to the whites. The 
object of these crafty intriguers was to form, by their own in- 
fluence and the aid of foreign emissaries, a combination among 
all the Northwestern tribes of Indians — with the hope, that 
by a simultaneous attack, they might destroy all the whites, 
or force them from the Valley of the Mississippi. But their 
designs were soon known to Governor Harrison, and, aware of 
his dangerous situation, his prudence and wise policy enabled 
him, for several years, to hold his savage neighbors in check. 
The following extracts from a speech, which he delivered to 
the Legislature of Indiana, in 1809, will serve to show^ that he 
fully understood the nature and cause of the excitement then 
existing among the Indians — " Presenting, as we do," said 
Governor Harrison, " a very extended frontier to numerous 
and warlike tribes of the aborigines, the state of our relations 
with them must always form an important and interesting 
feature in our local politics. It is with regret that I have to 
inform you, that the harmony and good understanding which 
it is so much our interest to cultivate with those our neigh- 
bors, have, for some time past, experienced a considerable 
interruption, and that we have indeed been threatened with 
hostilities, by a combination formed under the auspices of a 
Ijold adventurer, who pretended to act under the immediate 
inspiration of the Deity. His character as a prophet w ould 
not, however, have given him any very dangerous influence, 
if he had not been assisted by the intrigues and advice of for- 



12 

eign agents, and other disaffected pci'sons, who have for years 
omitted no opportunity of counteracting the measures of the 
Government with regard to the Indians, and filling their natu- 
rally jealous minds with suspicions of the justice and integ- 
rity of our views towards them." 

Two years subsequent to this, in 1811, from petty aggres- 
sions, the Indians proceeded to more open violence, and acts 
of decided hostility. The war Avhoop was again heard yelling 
within the limits of the territory, and every day brouglit fresii 
accounts of the perpetration of those atrocious deeds of dep- 
redation and murder, which always give the first intimation of 
a savage war. From motives of humanity as well as policy, 
Governor Harrison had always endeavored to avoid a war 
with the Indians ; but when ihis result became unavoidable, 
he promptly adopted the most energetic measures within his 
limited resources, to place the territory in a posture of defence. 
At his own earnest request, and at the solicitation of the peo- 
ple, the President, soon after, directed him to march with an 
armed force towards the principal place of rendezvous of the 
hostile Indians, the Prophet's town, on the Wabash, near the 
mouth of the Tippecanoe — where this crafty impostor had 
assembled a body of more than a thousand fierce warriors, 
ready to obey his will. 

Governor Harrison immediately assembled five hundred of 
the militia and volunteers of Indiana. These with a regiment 
of United States infantry, consisting of three hundred and fifty 
men, commanded by Colonel Boyd, and a small body of volun- 
teers from Kentucky, constituted his whole available force — 
amounting in all to about nine hundred effective men. As soon 
as he had disciplined these troops, and trained both the regu- 
lars and militia in the Indian mode of warfare, he took up his 
line of march towards the Prophet's town. 

He left Fort Harrison, on the Wabash, about sixty miles 
above Vincennes, on the 28th of October, 1811. Profiting by 
his own early experience, [this was seventeen years after the 
battle of Miami.] and the remembered example of his old 
friend and commander. General Wayne, his march through 
a wild country to Tippecanoe, was conducted with so much 
skill and prudence, that he avoided all danger of ambuscade or 
surprise from the savage foe. On the 6th of November, the 
army arrived within five or six miles of the Prophet's town. 
According to the instructions he had received from the Presi- 



13 

dent, Governor Harrison immediately sent in a flag of truce, 
to endeavor to open an amicable negotiation with the hostile 
Indians. To this overture, the Prophet returned a deceitful 
reply — he professed the most pacific intentions, and agreed to 
meet Harrison the next day in council, with his chiefs, to settle 
definitely the terms of peace. But Harrison knew too well 
the treachery of his artful antagonist to allow himself to be 
deceived by his specious professions, or lulled into any fancied 
security. He carefully selected the most eligible and defensi- 
ble position for his encampment, and ordered his troops to lie 
upon their arms all night, that they might be in readiness, at a 
moment's warning, to repel any sudden attack of the enemy. 
The sequel proved that these precautions were wisely adopted. 
An anxious night passed away without interruption ; but 
about four o'clock, on the folio wihg morning, two hours before 
daylight, a sentinel at one of the outposts discovered an Indian 
creeping stealthily towards the camp. He immediately gave 
the alarm, and almost at the same instant, a strong body of the 
enemy rushed towards the encampment, with the most savage 
yells. They made a furious charge on the left of the camp ; 
and so sudden and desperate was their onset, that the guard 
stationed in that quarter, gave way, at first, to then- fierce as- 
sailants. But these brave troops soon rallied, and retrieved 
the ground they had lost. The camp-fires were extinguished 
with all possible haste, and the battle was now waged on more 
equal terms. Our gallant troops fought with the most daring 
intrepidity, and their savage foes evinced a desperate valor 
worthy of a better cause. The battle raged with great fury • 
till the dawn of day, when a simultaneous charge was made 
upon the enemy, on either flank, and they were speedily put 
to flight, with great loss, and the battle terminated. During 
all this time, the false Prophet had been seated at a safe dis- 
tance from the field of battle, chanting a war-song, and prom- 
ising victory to his deluded brethren. 

The battle of Tippecanoe was one of the most spirited and 
best fought actions recorded in the annals of our Indian wars. 
The numbers and the weapons on either side were nearly 
equal ; and the Indians, contrary to their usual custom, fought 
hand to hand, and with the fiercest bravery. Every man in 
this battle encountered his share of danger, but no man was 
in more personal peril than Governor Harrison himself — well 
known to many of the Indians, and the object of their peculiar 



14 

attack — his fearless and unshrmking exposure, makes it seem 
almost a miracle that he should have escaped unwounded. In 
referring to the coolness and intrepidity of Governor Harris- 
on, on this occasion, we cannot refrain from making the fol- 
lowing extracts from a journal published in 1816, by a private 
soldier, who fought in this battle, and vA\o could have had no 
interested motives for his publication: — "General Harrison," 
he says, "received a shot through the rim of his hat. In the 
heat of the action his voice was frequently heard, and easily 
distinguished, giving his orders in the same calm, cool, and col- 
lected manner, with which we had been used to receive them 
en drill or parade. The confidence of the troops in the Gen- 
eral was unlimited." The same writer, in speaking of Harris- 
on's kindness to the soldiers, and his influence over them, re- 
marks : — " He appeared not disposed to detain any man against 
his inclination ; being endowed by nature with a heart as hu- 
mane as brave, in his frequent addresses to the militia, his 
eloquence was formed to persuade; appeals were made to 
reason as well as feeling, and never were they made in vain." 

An incident that occurred at this time, is worth recordiuff.' 
The night before the battle, a negro man belonging to the 
camp, who had been missing; was arrested near the Govern- 
or's marquee, under very suspicious circumstances. He was 
tried by a court-martial for desertion to the enemy, and for an 
attempt to assassinate the Governor. Sufficient evidence was 
found to convict him, and he was sentenced to death; yet such 
were the humane feelings of Harrison, that he could not induce 
himself to sign the order for his execution. As the criminal 
attempt had been made against his own life, he felt himself 
privileged to exercise his benevolence towards the offender, 
and the misguided wretch was suffered fo escape the just pun- 
ishment of his crime. It would have been more in accord- 
ance with the principles of strict justice, to have allowed the 
law to take its own course in this instance ; but the circum- 
stances of the case were very peculiar, and Governor Harris- 
on's conduct evinced a magnanimity and humanity of heart 
rarely equalled. 

The importance of the victory at Tippecanoe, cannot be too 
highly estimated. It quelled the haughty spirit of the discon- 
tented and hostile Indians, and defeated the plan, which they 
had almost matured, of attacking and destrcying our scattered 
border settlements in detail. Had we lost this battle, our army 



15 

must have been annihilated — the whole extent of our defence- 
less frontier would have been left to the mercy of sanguinary 
and unsparing savages, and the consequent loss of life, and de- 
struction of property would have been almost incalculable. 

The President, in his message to Congress, dated December 
18th, 1812, makes the following honorable mention of this 
battle : " While it is deeply to be lamented," says Mr. Madison, 
" that so many valuable lives have been lost in the action which 
took place on the 9th ult.. Congress will see, with satisfaction, 
the dauntless spirit and fortitude victoriously displayed by 
every description of troops engaged, as well as the collected 
firmness which distinguished their commander, on an occasion 
requiring the utmost exertion of valor and discipline." 

The Legislature of Kentucky, at their ensuing session, ex- 
pressed their high sense of Governor Harrison's good conduct 
on this occasion, by the following complimentary resolution: — 

"'Resolved, That in the late campaign against the Indians, 
on the "Wabash, Governor W. H. Harrison has, in the opinion 
of this Legislature, behaved like a liero, a patriot, and a gene- 
ral ; and that for his cool, deliberate, skilful, and gallant con- 
duct, in the late battle of Tippecanoe, he deserves the icarmest 
thanks of the nation." 

This high encomium came from those whose friends and 
neighbors had participated in the late campaign, and who were 
consequently familiar with its details, and with the merits of 
the commander. 

War was declared against Great Britian in June, 1812. 
Prior to this event, British agents had, for a long time, been 
tampering with the discontented Indians within our territory, 
and had bribed them with presents, and furnished them with 
lire-arms, to induce them to renew their hostilities against our 
country. The crafty and daring Tecumthe, too, was once 
more in the field. Urged on by his savage eloquence, by their 
own native love for war and plunder, and by the atrocious in- 
trigues of foreign agents, the Northwestern Indians aga'n rais- 
ed the war-whoop, and commenced their barbarous system of 
warfare. Their cruel murders and depredations became of 
frequent occurrence, and the wailings of bereaved mothers 
and orphans, and the bitter complaints of those who had esca- 
ped from the conflagration of their plundered homes, excited 
the commiseration of our hardy bordei'ers. and roused a gen- 



16 

eral feeling of indignation. Such was the state of excitement 
in our frontier settlements in the summer of 1812. 

Immediately after the declaration of war, our Western Gov- 
ernors promptly adopted every measure in their power, for 
the defence of their respective States and Territories. But 
conscious of the great abilities and experience of Harrison, they 
placed the utmost reliance on his counsels, and looked to him 
as the leader, under whom they might hope for success against 
the common enemy. He aided Governor Edwards in placing 
the frontier of Illinois in a posture of defence, and soon after, 
was invited by Governor Scott, of Kentucky, to a conference 
in relation to the Kentucky troops, which had been raised for 
the defence of the frontier. He accepted this invitation, and 
met Governor Scott at Frankfort, where he was received with 
the acclamations of the people, and with the highest civil and 
mihtary honors. These public marks of the high estimation 
in which Harrison was held by the people, were shortly after 
followed by proofs st'll more flattering, of their confidence in 
his patriotism, his abilities, and his military skill. 

Governor Scott had levied an armed force of more than 
five thousand militia and volunteers, commanded by some of 
the ablest men and most experienced officers in the State. 
Two thousand of these troops were ordered for immediate 
service ; and they had no sooner learned that they were des- 
tined to march to the aid of their fellow-countrymen on the 
frontier, than they at once unanimously expressed the most 
earnest desire to be placed under the command of Governor 
Harrison. This desire was responded to by the wishes of 
the people throughout the State. The laws of Kentucky, 
however, would not permit any other than a citizen, to hold a 
command in the State militia. In this dilemma, Governor 
Scott consulted with the venerable Shelby, (the Governor 
elect,) the Hon. Henry Clay, and other distinguished citizens 
of the State ; and by their unanimous advice he gave Harrison 
a brevet commission of Major-General in the Kentucky mili- 
tia, with express authority to take command of the gallant 
troops about to march to the frontier. This was a bold and 
unprecedented measure, but one that gave unbounded satis- 
faction to both soldiers and citizens, and one fully warranted 
by the peculiar exigencies of the case. These facts speak 
volumes hi favor of the remarkable popularity which General 
Harrison enjoyed in a population of brave and chivalric people. 



17 

About this time the cowardice and iinbeciUty of Genera!^ 
Hull tamely surrendered to the British the important post of 
Detroit, with the gallant force which composed its garrison. 
This event spread consternation, far and wide, through the 
Western country, and greatly increased the difficulty and ar- 
duous nature of Governor Harrison's duties. He immediately 
organized the brave troops under his command, and commen- 
ced a course of rigid discipline and military training ; with the 
confident hope of retrieving the disasters consequent upon the 
cowardly surrender of Detroit. 

Soon after, he was appointed a brigadier-general in the ser- 
vice of the United States. But, as the chief command of the. 
Western army was conferred on General Winchester, Harris- 
on declined accepting the commission tendered him, and gave 
up liis command, to "return to Indiana, and resume the duties 
of his territorial government. 

General Winchester was an old revolutionary soldier, and 
a brave and meritorious officer ; but one who was not, like 
Harrison, possessed of the enthusiastic confidence of the army. 
Governor Harrison exerted every effi^rt in his power to recon- 
cile the troops to this change. But soon after he left them, 
their displeasure at having been deprived of their favorite 
commander was not confined to murmurs, but created disaffec- 
tion and almost mutiny. 

No sooner was the President made aware of the condition 
of the army, and of the almost unanimous wishes of the West- 
ern people, than he immediately appointed Harrison, in place 
of Winchester, commander-in-chief of the Northwestern army. 
The despatch conveying this appointment, overtook him on his 
way to Indiana, and he returned without delay to the army. 

The powers conferred on Harrison, as commander-in-chief 
of the Northwestern army, were of great extent, and he was 
left to exercise them according to his own unrestricted judg- 
ment. In the despatch containing this appointment, dated 
September 17th, 1812, the Secretary of War says: — "You 
will command such means as may be practicable — exercise 
your own discretion, and act in all cases according to your 
own judgment" — thus conferring upon him extraordinary and 
almost unlimited powers. We refer to this, merely that we 
may here notice the remarkable fact, that, though vested 
with unusual powers, General Harrison was never known, 

during the whole of his command, to exercise his authority in 

2 v^;,._ 



18 

an unjust or oppressive manner. His measures were ener- 
jfetic, but ahvays qualified by his characteristic moderation 
and humanity, and by a regard for the feelings of even the 
meanest soldier in his camp. 

The duties that devolved on General Harrison, in his new 
station, were arduous beyond description, The troops under 
his command, though brave, were mostly inexperienced and 
undisciplined recruits ; and the army was badly Equipped, and 
nearly destitute of baggage and military stores. "With these 
limited means, and uiider these unfavorable circumstances, he 
was i-e{juired to defend an inmiense extent of frontier, stretch- 
ing along the shores of the great northern lakes, whose nu- 
merous harbors and rivers were easy of access to the enemy. 
In addition to this, the roads leading to those points which 
jnost required defence, were nearly impassable, and lay, for 
hundreds of miles, through a wilderness swarming with hos- 
tile Indians, and through gloomy and dangerous swamps, 
where the troops, though httlc encumbered vrith baggage, 
could advance but slowly, and with great fatigue. Under all 
these difficulties, the spirits of the soldiers vrcre sustained by 
the presence and example of their favorite conmiander — who 
animated them in their fatigues, and cheerfully endured the 
same hardships and privations which they encountered. 

The autumn and early part of the winter were spent in ac- 
tive and laborious preparations for the aj^proaching sum.mcr 
campaign — roads were cut, depots formed, forts built, and a 
few expeditions were sent out to protect our out-posts, and 
keep the enemy in check. One of these expeditions, consist- 
ing, of a detachment of six hundred men, under Lieut. Colonel 
Campbell, was sent by General Harrison against a fortified 
Indian village, from which our troops had sulfered much an- 
noyance. This enterprise was conducted with great skill and 
>success, Tlie village was attacked in the most gallant man- 
lier, and, after a des[)erate action of more than an hour, was 
<arjied at the point of the bayonet. From the general order 
issued by Harrison, on the return of this expedition, we m.ake 
the following extract, which will convey some idea of the hu- 
mane and jienerous feelings, that have always characterized 
both his pubjic and private conduct. After awarding these 
gallant troops the high meed of praise which their bravery 
had won, he goes on to say, — "But the character of this gal- 
Jant detachment, exhilrit'ng as it did, persevcrcnce, fortitude, 



19 

and bravery, would, however, be incomplete, if, in the midst 
of victory, they had forgotten the feelings of humanity. It is 
with the sincerest pleasure that the General has heard, that 
the most punctual obedience was paid to his orders, in not 
only saving all the women and children, but in sparing all the 
warriors who ceased to resist ; and that even when vigor- 
ously attacked by the enemy, the claims of mercy })revailed 
over every sense of their own danger, and this heroic band 
respected the lives of their prisoners, l^et an account of mur- 
dured innocence be opened in the. records of heaven, against 
our enemies alone. The American soldier will follow the ex- 
ample of his government ; and the sword of the one will not 
be raised against the fallen and helpless, nor the gold of the 
other be paid for the scalps of a massacred enemy.*' What 
a contrast do these noble sentiments present to the atrocous 
conduct of the British General, Proctor — who, at tlie cruel 
massacre at Rasin River, and elesewhere, basely permitted 
unresisting prisoners of v\ ar to be butchered, by his savage 
allies, in cold blood. 

Late in the season the army went into winter quarters at 
their strongly fortified position on tlie banks of the Maimi, 
near the rapids, which was called Camp Meigs, in honor of 
the patriotic governor of Ohio. Leaving the army at that 
station. General Harrison proceeded to Cincinnati, to procure 
reinforcements of men, and supplies of provisions and military 
stores, for the approaching campaign. But early in the 
spring, intelligence was received tliat the British were making 
extensive preparations, and concentrating a large force of 
regular soldiers, Canadians, and Indians, to besiege Fort 
Meios. On obtaining this information, General Harrison has- 
tened to his camp, and exerted the most strenuous efiorts, 
to prepare for this threatened attack of tiic enemy. His pre- 
sence cheered the troops, and he inspired them with fresh ar- 
dor, on the approach of the enemy, by an eloquent address, 
in which he alluded modestly, but in the most animating man- 
ner, to the neighboring battle-field, where General Wayne 
had gained the brilliant victory of the Miami, and where he 
himself had won the brightest of liis earlier laurels. 

On the 28th of April, 1813, the scouts brought in intelli- 
gence of the arrival of the enemy. On the same day, a 
strong force of British and Indians ascended the river in boats, 
and disembarked, partly on the southeastern shore, and part- 



20 

ly ©n the opposite side of the river. Here they immediately 
commenced the construction of three powerful batteries. — 
Corresponding traverses were made within the Fort, and 
every approach of the enemy was met and foiled, with con- 
summate skill and bravery. 

On the first of May, the batteries of the enemy being com- 
pleted, they opened a heavy cannonading, which was return- 
ed with equal vigor from the Fort. This connonading was 
continued without intermission for five days ; but owing to the 
skilful dispositions of General Harrison, it was attended with 
very little loss on our side. 

On the fifth of May, a gallant reinforcement of Kentuck- 
ians, under General Clay, fought their way to the camp : and 
Harrison availing himself of this fortunate occurrence, prompt- 
ly ordered a sortie to be made from the Fort to destroy the 
batteries of the enemy. The detachment ordered to this ser- 
vice, consisted of three hundred and fifty men, a part of whom 
were regulars, and the remainder volunteei's and Kentucky 
militia, under the co>nmand of Colonel Miller, of the United 
States army. These brave troops attacked a body of British 
regulars and Indians, of more than double their number ; but 
the impetuosity of their charge was irresistible, and after a se- 
vere struggle, they drove the enemy from the batteries. They 
spiked the cannon, took a large number of prisoners, and hav- 
ing fully accomplished their object, returned in triumph to the 
Fort. This sortie was one of the most sanguinary and des- 
perate actions fought during the whole war — and its biilliant 
success was richly merited, by the intrepid gallantry of the 
brave troops engaged in it. 

Thwarted by the skilful dispositions of Harrison, and by the 
battle, or rather succession of battles, fought on the fifth. Proc- 
tor was compelled to abandon the siege of Fort Meigs ; and 
on the eighth of May, he broke up his camp, and retreated in 
disappointment and disgrace. 

Thus terminated the glorious defence of Fort Meigs. Har- 
rison, soon after, left General Clay in command of that im- 
portant post, and, unwearied in his exertions, proceeded to 
more difficult and arduous duties, at other exposed stations. 

The unceasing efforts of the British, and the restless spirit 
of Tecumthe, allowed our troops but little time to recover 
from their severe fatigues. In less than two months after the 
siege of Fort Meigs had been abandoned, the Indians assem- 



21 

l)lcd a formidable body of more than five thousand warriors, 
under their most noted chiefs, and again threatened an attack 
on that fortress. On receiving this intelhgence. General Har- 
i-ison, with a small body of regulars, hastened to Fort Meigs, 
by forced marches, and fortunately arrived thei'e before the 
enemy. Leaving a reinforcement with General Clay, he re- 
turned without delay to his more active duties. 

During the whole of this interesting campaign, the vigilance 
and the intrepidity of General Harrison, with the bravery of 
liis soldiers, enabled him to keep a far superior force of the 
enemy in cheek, and to protect the wide extent of our expos- 
ed frontier. 

About the period when the enemy invested Fort Meigs for 
the second time, they made a desperate attack on Fort Ste- 
])henson, a temporary depot at Low^er Sandusky, which was 
bravely and successfully defended by JMajor Croghan, of the 
regular service. 

We lay before our readers the following short extracts 
from an address to the public, relative to this affair, which 
was voluntarily published by the general, field, and staffs offi- 
cers of General Harrison's army. After expressing their 
"regret and surprise, that charges as improper in form as in 
substance, should have been made against General Harrison,, 
during the recent investment of Lower Sandusky," they go 
on to say : " He who believes that with our disposable force, 
and under the circumstances which then occurred, General 
Harrison ought to have advanced upon the enemy, must be 
left to correct his opinion in the school of experience. 

"On a review of the course then adopted, we are decided- 
ly of the opinion, that it was such as was dictated by military 
wisdom, and by a due regard to our circumstances, and to the 
situation of the enemy. * * * * And with a ready acquies- 
cence, beyond the mere claims of military duty, we are pre- 
pared to obey a general, whose measures meet our most delib- 
erate approbation, and merit that of his country." 

The chivalrous and noble spirited Croghan, who was one of 
the signers of the above address, about the same time publish- 
ed another paper on this subject, dated from Lower Sandus- 
ky, in which he says : — "I have with much regret seen in some 
of the public prints such misrepresentations respecting my re- 
fusal to evacuate this post, as are calculated not only to injure 
me in the estimation of militarv men, but also to excite unfa- 



22 

\orable impressions as to the propriety of General Harrison's 
ronduct relative to this affair. 

"His character as a military man is too well established to 
need my approbation or support. But his public service enti- 
tles him at least to common justice. This affair does not fur- 
nish cause of reproach. If public opinion h.as been lately mis- 
led respecting his late conduct, it will require but a moment's 
cool, dispassionate reflection, to convince them of its propriety. 
The measures recrnthj adopted by him, so far from deserving 
censure, are the clearest proofs of his keen penetration and 
able generalship." 

Disappointed in their hopes of plunder, and dispirited by the 
numerous defeats they had sustained, the savage allies of the 
British had become discontented ; the second siege of Fort 
iSfeigs had been abandoned, and gradually the enemy entirely 
\vitlidrew from our territory, and concentrated their forces at 
^Falden, their principal strcinghold in Upper Canada. It will 
thus be seen, that the skill with w^hich General Harrison had 
conducted his defensive operations, the only resource left him 
in the face of a superior foe, had been eminently successful ; ami 
had not only protected our widely extended frontier, l)ut had 
eventually forced the enemy to retire, mortified and humbled 
by defeat, from our country.' 

The activity and enterprise of General Harrison, did not 
long permit the enemy to rest, after their retreat from our 
territory. He immediately commenced preparations for car- 
rying the war into their own country, and formed his plan 
for the capture of Maiden, and the conquest of Upper Canada. 

Commodore Perry had been instructed to co-operate with 
General Harrison, with the fleet under his command, and by 
a happy co-incidence, that gallant hero gained his glorious vic- 
tory on Lake Erie, and captured the entire squadron of the 
enemy,just about the time when General Harrison had matured 
his plans for the invasion of Canada. 

On the 27th of September, the troops embarked at Sandusky 
Bay, and advanced towards Maiden, expecting to find the 
British and Indians encamped there in full force. But upon 
landing upon the Canada shore, they found that Proctor, dis- 
heartened by his recent defeats, had abandoned that stronghold, 
after having destroyed the fort and navy-yard ; and had re- 
treated with his regulars and savage allies to Sandwich.^ Our 
army encamped at Maiden, and the patriotic troops could not 



23 

rcstram their exultation, on having gained possession of lh<> 
fortress from which had issued, for years past, those ruthlos| 
bands of savages, which had swept over our extended frontier^ 
like the wing of the destroying angel, leaving death and dc# 
struction only in their path. 

Our army advanced rapidly in pursuit of the enemy, nn(\ 
overtook them on the 5th of October, at a place which is des* 
tined to be remembered, as the battle ground of one of the most 
remarkable and decisive actions fought during the war. 

General Proctor, having had his choice of ground, occupied 
a strong position, flanked on the left by the river Thames, and 
on the right by a swamp, beyond which were posted two thou- 
sand Indians, under Tecumthe. But Proctor committed an 
irretrievable error, in placing his regular soldiers in open or- 
der, and extending liis line by placing the files at a distance o:' 
three or four feet from the each other. 

The American army advanced in order of battle, and.when 
in the immediate neighborhood of the eneiny, the reconnoi- 
tering parties brought in intelligence of the dispositions Proctor 
i\ad made. Harrison, with the rapid decision of an al)le gene- 
ral, instantly availed himself of the error of his opponent, 
and ordered Colonel Johnson to charge the enemy's line in co- 
lumn, with his regiment of mounted Kentuckians. The ex- 
tended and weakened line of the enemy could ofter but a feeble 
resistence to the charge of these gallant troops ; who dashed 
through their ranks with overwhelming impetuosity, and 
formed and attacked them in the rear. Panic-struck by thi^,' 
bold and unexpected mancEuvre, and at being assailed both ia 
front and rear, the British threw down their arms in dismay, 
and the whole army was captured, with the exception of a 
few who escaped by an early flight with Proctor. The In* 
dians attacked our troops on the left, and fought with great 
flerceness and daring, until repulsed with great slaughter. 

The decisive and important battle was thus fought and v,^on, 
in a space of time almost incredibly short, and with a very tri* 
fling loss on our side. All the baggage of the enemy, ami 
their valuable military stores, together with the official paper;! 
of Proctor, fell into our hands; and several pieces of bras^ 
cannon which had been taken from the British in our revolu- 
tionary victories, but which Hull had shamefully surrendered 
at Detroit, were again captured from our ancient foe. 



The united force of the Bitish regulars and Indians eno^ag- 
ged in this battle, amounted to more than 28U0 — the number 
of our troops was less than 2500 — and those were principally 
militia and volunteers. The venerable Governor Shelby com- 
manded the Kentucky volunteers in this battle, and General 
Cass, our present Minister to France, and the heroic Perry, act- 
ed as volunteer aids to general Harrison. This brilliant vic- 
tory following up the capture of their fleet on Lake Erie by 
the gallant Perry, entirely destroyed the force of the enemy in 
Upper Canada, and put an end to the war on our northw^estern 
frontier. 

On receivmg the news of this glorious event, the thanks of 
Congress were expressed to General Harrison in the warmest 
manner. Among many others, whose grateful feelings found 
utterance on this occasion, the Hon. Langdon Cheves observ- 
ed, on the floor of Congress, that — "The victory of Harrison 
w^as such as would have secured to a Roman general in the 
best days of the Republic, the honors of a triumph." A sen- 
timent which was fully responded to, in the complimentary 
notices which he received from every part of the union. 

Having entirely defeated the enemy in Upper Canada, Gene- 
i-al Harrison advanced with a part of his army, to the Niagara 
frontier, and thence to Sackett's Harbour, where he left the 
troops, and proceeded to the seat of government. On his way 
thithe, he passed through New- York and Philadelphia ; in 
which cities he was received with the most flattering marks of 
public honor and distinction. After the necessaiy delay of a 
few days at Washington, General Harrison proceeded to Ohio, 
where important duties required his presence. 

In the plan for the ensuing campaign, to the surprise and 
regret of the public, General Harrison w^as designated for a 
service, far inferior to that which he had a right to expect. 
Regardless of the memorable victories which this gallant and 
experienced officer had won, and unmindful of the va/ious and 
important services which he had rendered to his country, the 
Secretary of War saw fit to assign to him the command of a 
district, where he would be compelled to remain inactive, while 
others were appointed to those more arduous duties, which he 
had heretofore fulfilled with so much honour to himself, and to 
the nation. As if still unsatisfied with this egregious insult 
which he had offered to General Harrison, the Secretary of 
war, on the 25th of April, 1814, appointed a subordinate of- 



25 

ficer to a separate command within his district, and notified 
him to that effect. On the receipt ot this notification, General 
Harrison instantly addressed a letter to the secretary, tender- 
ing his resignation, with a notification thereof to the president. 
'• As soon as Governor Shelby heard of the resignation of Ge- 
neral Harrison, he lost no time in addressing the president in 
his usual forcible terms, to prevent his acceptance of it ; but 
unfortunately for the public interests, the president was then 
on a visit to Virginia, to which place the letters from General 
Harrison and Governor Shelby were forwarded, and that of 
the latter was not received until after the Secretary ,Armstrong, 
vntJiout the previous consent of the j)resident, had assumed to 
liimself the high prerogative of accepting the resignation. The 
j)resident expressed his great regret that the letter of Governor 
Shelby had not been received earlier, as in that case the valu- 
able services of General Harrison would have been preserved 
to the nation in the ensuing campaign."* 

In this resignation, General Harrison evinced the true patri- 
otism and disinterestedness, which have always marked his 
conduct. He would cheerfully have devoted his services to 
his country, even in an appointment inferior to that which 
should have been assigned to him — but he was too high-prin- 
cipled to retain his rank, by yielding assent to a measure, which 
he considered to be subversive of military order and discipline; 
and though his own fortune had been shattered by the neglect 
of his private affairs, for the benefit of the public, yet he scorn- 
ed to receive the pay and emoluments of his office, when he 
was no longer permitted to perform its duties actively and hon- 
ourably. 

It would be difficult, at this period, to trace out the true 
motives that induced the secretary of war to the unjustifiable 
course he pursued in this affair. But some knowledge of those 
events of the war in which he bore a part, with a little insight 
into human nature, would suggest that the leading causes which 
prompted him, were the envy and jealousy, which a narrow- 
minded man would naturally teel, on contrasting his own feeble 
efforts, and abortive attempts, with the consummate skill, the 
brilliant victories, and the almost uniform successes of another. 
That he had acted in an arbitrary and unwarrantable manner, 
was afterwards clearly proved. And in the investigation 

* Dawson. 



26 

which took place in Congress in the winter of 1816-17, it be- 
came so evident that General Harrison had been treated with 
great injustice by the war department, that a resolu lion giving 
him a gold medal and the thanks of Congress, was passed, with 
but one dissenting voice in both houses of Congress. 

The leading events in the campaigns of 1812-13, the gal- 
lant defence of Fort Meigs, and the decisive victory of tlie 
Thames, are lasting memorials of General Harrison's n:iilitary 
genius. Yet, for these isolated actions, he deserves far less 
praise than for the skilful operations, ancl the Fabian pcl.cy, 
which led to these and other successes. The prudent care and 
indefatigable exertions, by which he provided for his army in a 
wild and devastated country — the promptness and unwearied 
activity, wnth which he met and defeated the schemes of his an- 
tagonists — and the admirable sldll, with which he held in check 
an enemy far superior in numbers, and with a small force pro- 
tected an extended line of frontier, and guarded the lives anci 
property of thousands of his fellow citizens, betokened a geni 
lus of the highest order, with a vigorous mind constantly oi[ 
the alert. 

Soon after his resignation, in the summer of 1814, Mr. Mai'i 
ison evinced his unabated confidence in the abilities and integj 
rity of General Harrison, by appointing him to treat with th^ 
Indians, in conjunction with his old companions in arms Gov; 
ernor Shelby and General Cass. And in the following yearv 
he was placed at the head of another commission, appointetj 
to treat with the northwestern tribes. The advantageoui 
treaties made in both these cases, aftbrded new instances cf 
the unfailing success, that has always attended General Har- 
rison's negotiations with the Indians. 

In 1810, he was elected, by a large majority, a member of 
the House of Representatives in Congress, from Oliio. Ir^^. 
this station he served, greatly to his own honor, and to th'i 
satisfaction of his constituents, until 1819 ; when, on the expi- 
ration of his term of service, he was chosen to the Senate of 
the State Legislature. 

In 1824, he was elected a Senator of the United States fron^ 
Ohio. While serving in this high station, he conmianded unii 
versal respect. His views as a statesman were liberal and ex-i 
tended, — his remarkable readiness in debate soon rendered hin^ 
a prominent member, — and the nervous and impassioned elo-. 



27 

quence, and classical felicity of illustration with which he en- 
forced his arguments, gained him much influence. 

In 1828, he was appointed by Mr. Adams Envoy Extraor- 
dinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Colom- 
bia. He accepted this appointment, and repaired, without 
delay, to the scene of his duties, where he was received with 
every demonstration of respect. He found this unhappy 
country in a deplorable condition — the people ignorant of their 
rights, and almost in a state of anarchy, and Bolivar apparent- 
ly about to assume the despotic power of a military dictator. 
Shocked at this state of things, with the frankness of an ok! 
soldier, he wrote his celebrated letter to Bolivar, from which, 
as we have not space for the whole letter, we take the Hberty 
of quoting the following extracts : 

"I contend," said General Harrison, "that the strongest of 
ail governments is that which is most free. We consider that 
of the United States as the strongest, precisely because it is 
the most free. It possesses the faculties, equally to protect it- 
self from foreign force, or internal convulsion. In both it has 
been sufficiently tried. In no country on earth would an armed 
opposition to the laws be sooner or more effectually put down. 
Not so much from the terrors of the guillotine and the gibbet, 
as from the aroused determination of the nation, exhibiting 
their strength, and convincing the factious that their cause was 
hopeless." * * * * 

"In bestowing the palm of merit, the world has become 
wiser than formerly. The successful warrior is no longer re- 
garded as entitled to the first place in the temple of fame. — 
Talents of this kind have become too common, and too often 
used for mischievous purposes, to be regarded as they once 
were. In this enlightened age, the mere hero of the field, and 
the successful leader of armies, may, for the moment, attract 
attention. But it will be such as is bestowed on the passing 
meteor, whose blaze is no longer remembered, when it is no 
longer seen. To be esteemed eminently great, it is necessary 
to be eminently good. The qualities of the hero and the gen- 
eral must be devoted to the advantage of mankind, before he 
will be permitted to assume the title of their benefactor ; and 
the station which he will hold in their regard and affections 
will depend, not upon the number and splendor of his victo- 
ries, but upon the results and the use he may make of the in- 
fluence he acquires from them." 



28 

"If the fame of our Washington depended upon his military 
achievements, would the common consent of the world allow 
him the pre-eminence he possesses ? The victories at Trenton. 
Monmouth, and York, brilliant as they were, exhibiting as they 
certainly did the highest grade of military talents, ai'e scarcely 
thought of. The source of the veneration and esteem which is 
entertained for his character, by every description of politicians, 
the monarchist and aristocrat, as well as the i-epublican, is to 
be found in his undeviating and exclusive devotedness to the 
interest of his country. No selfish consideration was ever 
suffered to intrude itself into his mind. For his country he 
conquered ; and the unrivalled and increasing prosperity of 
that country is constantly adding fresh glory to his name." 

We regret that our limits will not permit us to insert the 
whole of this vigorous and beautiful production. But the few 
passages we have quoted, contain a fair specimen of the noble 
sentiments which characterize this letter, and give evidence of 
the pure republican principles, which have ever distinguished 
this eminent statesman. 

General Harrison remained in Colombia but a short time, 
having been recalled by General Jackson, soon atter he came 
into power. 

Since his return from this mission, he has lived in compara- 
tive retirement, in Ohio, the state of his adoption. With the 
most enticing opportunities of accumulating wealth, during his 
long government of Indiana, and superintendency of Indian 
affairs, he acquired none ; his honest and scrupulous uitegrity 
was proof against the golden temptations. His time and best 
energies were devoted to the service of his country, and his 
own interests "were ever, with him, a secondary consideration. 
He therefore retired without the spoils of office, and with on- 
ly a competency barely sufficient for his support ; but rich in 
a reputation undimmed by a single tarnish, and in the honor 
and respect of all his fellow citizens. 

General Harrison is now sixty six years of age ; (about six 
years younger than President Jackson ;) Ijut such have been 
the activity and temperate habits of his past life, that he enjoys 
his moral and physical energies in remarkable vigor. In per- 
son he is tall and thin ; his features are irregular, but his eyes 
are dark, keen and penetrating ; his forehead is expansive ; his 
mouth peculiarly indicative of firmness and genius ; and his 
countenance is highly expressive of intelligence and benevo- 



29 

lence. His manners are plain, frank and unassuming, and his 
disposition is cheerful, kind and generous, almost to a fault. In 
his private intercourse, he is beloved and esteemed by all who 
know him. In the various civil and military offices he has 
held, he has always been moderate and forbearing, yet firm 
and true to his trust. No other commander has ever been 
more popular with our militia, and the true secret of this can- 
not be better explained than by his own reply, when asked 
how he had gained his influence : "By treating them" said he, 
"with affection and kindness, by always recollecting that they 
were my fellow citizens, whose feelings I was bound to respect: 
and by sharing with them, on every occasion, the hardships 
which they were obliged to undergo." 

In the republican institutions of our country, birth and pa- 
rentage are comparatively of very little impartance ; and no 
candidate for public favour can found thereon the slightest 
claim to the respect or support of his fellow citizens. We 
have happily shaken off the the thralling prejudices of the old 
world, and a title to office and honorable distinction is not 
with us hereditary ; but every man must earn his own good 
name, and his claim to the favor of the people, by his own 
good deeds. Yet, aware, as every one must be, of the power- 
ful influence of early education, it is worthy of remark, as well 
as gratifying to know, that a candidate for public office, in 
whom we feel an interest, passed all the early years of his life 
with the brightest examples constantly before him ; and under 
the parental tuition of one of those illustrious patriots, whose 
memory is revered by every true-hearted American. It is 
pleasing to know, that his first political sentiments were imbib- 
ed in a school of the purest repubhcan principles. And when 
we trace up the career of this individual, from the spring-time 
of liis youth, to the summer of his manhood and to the early 
autumn of his years, and see those principles closely adhered 
to throughout, we can scarcely resist the conviction, that his 
future course will be consistent with the past; and that, with 
matured abilities, he will be still more conspicuous for his re- 
publican principles, his moderation in office, his firm integrity, 
and his extended and enlightened views as a statesman. Such 
were the early advantages of William Henry Harrison ; such 
has been his course thus far through life ; and such is now the 
bright promise, to a realization of which we may safely look 
forward, should the people see fit to place hinl in office. 



30 

The friends of General Harrison found no claim on his mil- 
itary services. His own sentiments on this subject we have 
already quoted ; and his friends would scorn, as much as he 
would, any attempt to dazzle a single one of his follow citizens 
hy the glory of his military renown, brilliant though it be. They 
would rather {)oint to his numerous civil services, in the fortv 
years he has devoted to his country ; to the various and inl- 
jwrtant offices he has so ably filled — in the territorial govern- 
ments, in tiie Legislature of his own state, and in the House of 
Representatives and Senate of the United States ; and to the 
high order of abilities displayed in his speeches in Congress, in 
liis public acts, and in his voluminous public correspondence. 
And we here take occasion to say, that all his letters and pub- 
lic papers have been exclusively written by himself ; and tliat 
so far from his having called in the meiital aid of another, to 
prepare his messages and despatches, as some of our distin- 
guished men have condescended to do, he has never even em- 
j)loyed an amanuensis, to perform the manual labor of liis 
correspondence. His ruling principles tlu'ough life, appear 
to have been, an ardent love for his country, and an earnest 
desire to serve her best interests ; with a devotion to the pure 
republican maxims of the Revolution, always unv/avering and 
consistent : unlike the scheming politicians of a more modern 
school, whose own interest is the polar star that guides them, 
whatever may betide their country. 

With tried j)atriotism, with abilities of the liighest order, 
with integrity pure as the unsullied snow, and with the truest 
republican principles, William Henry Harrison is now before 
his fellow citizens, as a candidate for the highest office in their 
gitt. In the long course of his public hfe, he has always been 
a staunch advocate of popular rights, and is therefore truly 
the candidate of the people. He comes before them, r.ot 
with a crowd of pampered and still-grasping officials to in- 
trigue and bribe for him, but with the noble franknessof an hoji- 
orable and high mijided man, willing and desirous to be judged 
impartially by his fellow citizens, and ready to abide by their 
honest decision. 



■CiiUJ k 



31 

GENERAL HARRISON. 

At the late enthusiastic public meeting in the city of New- 
York, to respond to the Ilarrisburg nominations, which was 
attended by an immense concourse of people, the following 
appropriate tribute to the Civilian and Soldier, Harrison, 
was read to the meeting, from his friend and neighbor Na- 
thaniel G. Pendleton of Ohio, who was in the city, but pre- 
vented from illness from attending the meeting. Let the 
Farmers and yeomanry of Connecticut read it. 

Lafayette Place, N. Y. Dec. 12, 1839. 
I regret exceedingly that a cold which confines me to the 
house, \vill deprive me of the j)leasure of meeting the Whigs of 
New- York, this evening, at the National Hall ; and express- 
ing to them in person, the gratification with which the W^higs 
of Ohio will learn of the enthusiasm and unanimity with 
which the nomination of General Harrison has been received 
ajid responded to here. 

General Harrison's life from the early age of nineteen, has 
been spent in the West, then a vast and unbroken wilderness ; 
and there his talents and services are known and appreciated. 
There is no important event connected with its early history, 
or subsequent adA ancement, with wdiicli his name has not been 
identifsed. 

At the age of nmeteen he received his first commission from 
General Washington; he was aid-de-Camp to General Wayne 
whose sao'acitv in discovering military talent was never at 
fault. After five or sis year's service he resigned his com- 
mission, and was appointed Secretary of the North Western 
territory, and during the absence of General St. Clair, which 
v>'as almost continual, he acted as Governor. Frcm this same 
territory in 1799 he was appointed delegate to Congress, and 
there introduced and carried through a law for the sub-divis- 
ion of the public lands, by reducing the surveys from 4000 to 
1(50 acre tracts. This law, I have no doubt, has made more 
7)eople happy than any other single act of any other public 
man, as it placed in the power of every man to become a 
freeholder. In 1801, he was appointed by Mr. Jefferson, Go- 

iVernor of Indiana, and continued in that office till 1812, wdien 
le was appointed by Mr. Madison, Maj. General in the army of 
he United States. After two years service, he a second time 
rosignecS his commission. After the war he represented his 



32 

district in the House of Representatives, and his State in the 
Senate of the United States. By ]Mr. Adams he was appoint- 
ed Minister to Columbia; since that period, 1829, a Scientific 
and practical farmer, he has resided on his farm, dependent al- 
together upon its produce for the support and education of a 
numerous family. 

You will perceive from this brief sketch, that General Har- 
rison is now in his G7th year, and that of those about eight 
years only have been spent in the camp. Upwards of thirty 
years have been devoted to the civil service of his country. — 
He has frequently been elected by the people to the State 
Legislature and to Congress, and has received important public 
appointments from General Washington, Mr. Jefferson, Madi- 
son and Adams, certainly, not questionable proof of merit on 
his part. 

His habits of industry, early acquired, are still retained. — 
The sun never finds him in bed. His mind is active as his 
body; he loses no time, and every hour not employed in the 
active duties of his farm, is devoted to his books. 

If you will permit an intimate friend of General Harrison, 
who knows him thoroughly, and acknowledges his attachment, 
to be a disinterested witness, I will say that there is no man 
in our country, who from education, experience, information, 
and temper, is better qualified usefully to discharge the high 
duties of President of the United States. 

I am, very respectfully, yours, <fcc. 

N. G. Pendleton. 



•J© 



COL,. III€HARI> Htl. SOUmiSO^^S OPINION OF 
OEMERAIi HARRISON. 

0^'* Who is GENERAL HARRISON ? The son of one of the signers 
of the Declaration of Independence, who spent the greater part of his largo 
fortune, in redeeming the pledge he then gave, of his « fortune, life, and sacred 
honor,' to secure the liberties of his country. 

"Of the career of General Harrison I need not speak — the History of the 
West, is his history. For forty years he has been identified with its interests^ 
its perils, and its hopes. Universally beloved in the walks of peace, and dis- 
tinguished by his ability m the councils of his country, he has been yet more 
illustriously distinguished in the field. 

" During the late war, he was longer in actual service than any other Gen. 
era] Ofiicer ; he was perhaps oftener in action than any one of them, and never 
sustained a defeat." 

Col. Johnson's SpeecHHn Congress. 



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